PROVIDENCE – Sixty-three Providence city workers still haven’t gotten the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, even with the extra three-and-a-half weeks given since the original Jan. 14 deadline, according to data shared with PBN Thursday.
Those who fail to get the first shot by March 1 may be suspended without pay, said Theresa Agonia, chief of external affairs for Mayor Jorge O. Elorza.
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lorza first announced the city vaccine mandate in December, giving workers until Jan. 14 to get their first shot or else be “separated from employment.” Amid pushback from some members of the City Council over low vaccine rates in certain city departments – including Providence Police officers – Elorza pushed back the deadline until Feb. 8 while also relaxing the initial penalties for those who did not comply. Rather than being fired, Elorza said employees who did not meet the new deadline would get a written warning.
The 3.1% of city workers who did not get the first shot as of Feb. 8 is a slight improvement over the 5% who did not meet the original Jan. 14 deadline.
As of Feb. 8, 10.5% of sworn city law enforcement officers were unvaccinated, down from 13.5% on Jan. 14, according to city data. Several other departments which had double-digit percentages of unvaccinated workers in January, including the city assessor’s and clerk’s offices and probate court, are now in full compliance with the vaccine mandate according to the latest data. The office of economic opportunity vaccination rate remained unchanged at 16.7%.
When, if ever, they will lose their jobs is unclear. In an emailed statement, Agonia said workers who have not gotten the vaccine “continue to face progressive discipline if they choose to remain out of compliance with our policy, and as of March 1 will be subject to suspension without pay.”
The city has declined to share specific numbers of unvaccinated workers per department, citing employee privacy.
Elorza’s original mandate, announced in December, also required workers to complete their primary vaccine series by Feb. 28.
Nancy Lavin is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
